Eight officers were killed while investigating suspicious persons and seven while in tactical situations. Six more cops were engaged in traffic pursuits or stops when killed, and four were targeted in ambushes.

The FBI statistics show that 30 of the slain officers were wearing body armor when slain.

Another 45 officers were killed in line-of-duty accidents, including officers whose deaths were determined to have been unintentional.

The FBI will publish its final statistics in the Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted, 2015 publication this autumn.

The Officer Down Memorial page, which also tracks the deaths of police officers, registered a total of 128 officer deaths in 2015. Their figures also include deaths relating to natural causes, including six deaths due to 9/11 related illnesses and 17 from heart attacks.

There have been 35 line-of-duty deaths so far this year, 17 of which resulted from intentional gunfire, according to ODMP.